Variety porteri is a high-elevation counterpart of var. aureum that may not be worthy of taxonomic recognition. At their extremes, the two are markedly distinct, and based on limited observations of cultivated plants, each maintains its basic habit when grown under uniform conditions. In Nevada (Elko, Lander, and Nye counties), var. porteri grows with a similarly reduced alpine expression of the cream-colored var. desereticum. Elsewhere it is widely scattered, mainly in the Uinta and Wasatch mountains of Utah (Beaver, Duchesne, Iron, Piute, Salt Lake, Sevier, Summit, Uintah, Utah, and Wasatch counties), as well as in the Colorado Rocky Mountains (Chaffee, Delta, Gunnison, La Plata, Moffat, and Pitkin counties). A collection supposedly gathered near the Goodman Ranch in Uinta County, Wyoming (Payson 4920, DS, RM, S, UTC), is almost certainly mislabeled. The variety is occasionally seen in cultivation, mainly in Europe.